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KABUL, (MANEND NEWS): Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on
Tuesday announced members of the “acting” government, saying that
it will be led by Mohammad Hasan Akhund while the group’s co-
founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be the deputy Afghan leader.
Taliban’s deputy leader Sirajuddin Haqqani will be the acting interior
minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi will be the acting foreign minister, political
chief Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai will be the acting deputy
foreign minister and Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob Mujahid will be the
acting defence minister, he announced during a press conference in
Kabul. Fazel Akhund has been named chief of the Afghan armed
forces.
The heads of various other ministries will be appointed soon, Mujahid
added. The Taliban spokesperson said Afghanistan had “gained
freedom”, stressing that “only the will of Afghans” will be applicable in
the country. “After today, no one will be able to interfere in
Afghanistan,” he emphasised.
Zabihullah Mujahid said that the Taliban had been in contact with
various countries and their envoys had visited Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid said that the Taliban had been in contact with
various countries and their envoys had visited Afghanistan.
In response to a question, the spokesperson said the country will now
be called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Mujahid said there was no fighting in Panjshir, the last holdout of anti-
Taliban forces in the country and the only province the Taliban had not
seized during their blitz across Afghanistan last month.
Separately, in a written statement, Acting Prime Minister Mohammad
Hasan Akhund congratulated Afghans for the “withdrawal of all foreign
forces, end of the occupation and complete liberation of the country”.
A caretaker and “committed” cabinet had been announced which will
start working at the earliest, he said, adding that the leaders will
“work hard towards upholding Islamic rules and Sharia (Islamic law) in
the country, protecting the country’s highest interests, securing
Afghanistan’s borders, and ensuring lasting peace, prosperity and
development”.
All governance and life in the country will henceforth be in accordance
with Islamic law, Akhund said.
“We want to have a peaceful, prosperous. and self-reliant Afghanistan,
for which we will strive to eliminate all causes of war and strife in the
country, and [for] our countrymen to live in complete security and
comfort.”
Furthermore, the Taliban wanted to have “strong and healthy”
relations with all countries based on mutual respect, he said.
“We are committed to all international laws and treaties, resolutions
and commitments that are not in conflict with Islamic law and the
country’s national values,” Akhund stressed.
He also emphasised that the interim government will take “serious and
effective steps” to protect human rights as well as the rights of
minorities and underprivileged groups within the framework of the
demands of Islam.
The Taliban who swept to power last month, have been expected to
announce a government since the United States-led evacuation was
completed at the end of August.
They have promised an “inclusive” government that represents
Afghanistan’s complex ethnic makeup — though women are unlikely to
be included at the top levels.
As they transition from insurgency group to governing power, the
Taliban have a series of major issues to address, including looming
financial and humanitarian crises. The Taliban, who swept into Kabul
on August 15 following a lightning offensive that decimated the former
Afghan army, have pledged a more moderate brand of rule than in
their first stint in power in 1996-2001.